Mark 7:1-23
The Gospel of Mark states that “all Jews do not eat without carefully washing their hands.” (Mark 7:3) Why did the Jews in the Gospel wash their hands before eating? The reason is not primarily due to hygiene, but because the Jewish custom of washing hands before eating had a religious significance: it was a rite of purification which traces back to the Book of Exodus when God told Moses to provide a bronze vessel with water with which the priests should wash their hands and feet before they do their priestly duties inside the “Tent of Meeting.” (cf. Exodus 30:17-21) Jewish tradition extended this purification ritual to be observed before every meal.
When the scribes and the Pharisees questioned Jesus why His disciples did not follow this particular tradition of the elders, Jesus responded that Isaiah prophesied about them hypocrites, and using the words of Isaiah, Jesus said: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, and their reverence for me has become routine observance of the precepts of men.” (Isaiah 29:13) Jesus said to the scribes and the Pharisees: “You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Mark 7:8)
Jesus continued with an example; He said: “For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother (Deuteronomy 5:16),’ and ‘whoever curses father or mother shall die (Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9).’ Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, any support you might have had from me is qorban (an offering to God);’ you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.” (Mark 7:11-13) In the context of this Gospel passage, qorban is a pledge for a gift to God, whereby the offering is dedicated to the temple, so that the giver may not give it to others, even to his needy parents.
Turning to the crowd, Jesus said: “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters a person from outside can defile that person, but the things that come out from within are what defile.” (Mark 7:14-15) A person’s heart is the ultimate source of a person’s thoughts, words and deeds, and Jesus enumerated the things that come from the hearts of people which defile them: “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance and folly.” (Mark 7:21-22) These are the things that we all have to avoid. Rather, we should try to cleanse out these things from our hearts and replace them with things that purify: pure thoughts, goodwill to all, fear of God, respect, honor, generosity, honesty, modesty and humility.